Exercising device



@cfi. 115, 1935.

F.IONEILL, JR

EXERCISING DEVICE Filed Sept. 12, 1934 2 Sheets-5heet l w I NN' mm m Te'.N

W A M um Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EXERCISING DEVICE Frank ONeill, Jr., New York, N. Y.

Application September 12, 1934, Serial No. 743,691

1'7 Claims.

This invention relates to exercising devices of g the treadmill type.

Special objects of the invention are to provide an exerciser of the type mentioned, which will be ture may be modified and changed in various.

ways all within the intent and broad scope of the claims.

20 Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the invention as in use.

Fig. 2, is a broken plan view illustrating the apparatus in its folded form.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the device.

25 Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged broken sectional details as on lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Fig. 1. 1

Fig. 6 is a broken sectional view showing the supports folded under to lower the platform to horizontal position.

30 Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional. detail as on line 1-4 of Fig. l.

The base of the apparatus consists in the present disclosure of a single plate of sheet metal l0, reinforced and stiffened by the turned down edge 35 flanges H, braced together at the end and intermediate portions by the cross rods l2, I3, l4.

At the ends, between the down turned edge flanges, the top portion of the base is rolled downwardly and inwardly at l5, to form curved 40 guides for the track surface, which is shown as an endless belt I6, travelling over the top and around these curved guides. This belt may be any suitable flexible fabric.

A special feature of the present invention is 45 that the platform may be supported either in inclinedor horizontal relation to suit different methods of exercise.

In Fig. l, the base or platform is shown supported in the inclined position suitable for walk- 50 ing or running exercises, sustained so by the legs or supports H. The latter are indicated as hingedly connected with the top at 18, so that they can be folded under as at Fig. 6 to then maintain the base in a substantially horizontal 55 position. r i 7 structurally the hinged supports may be sheet metal pieces flanged at the edges as at l9, in box form, to stiffen them and to provide the end and side bearing surfaces 20, 2|. These bottom and side bearing surfaces may be faced with rubber 5 or other suitable cushioning material such as shown at 22, and which may be in the form of continuous strips of facing material. The other side flanges 23 of the legs provide bearing faces to which the hinge leaves may be spot welded or 10 otherwise suitably secured as indicated at 24. The companion leaves of these leg hinges may be spot welded or otherwise secured to the top plate as indicatedat 25. The top flanges 26 of the legs also serve a special purpose, in that in the upright position they abut the underside of the top to solidly support the latter and totake part of the load off the hinges.

' The opposite,andgwhatimay ordinarily be the 10wer; end of: the platform is supported in the illustration by somewhat similar hinged feet 21, having flanges 28, faced with strips 30 of rubber or other suitable cushioning friction material.

Uprights 3| are providedfor supporting a handle, hand grips, a belt, or the like, and these are combined in the present disclosure with the feet 21, the latter being shown as lower extensions of these uprights. The stay-rods I 2, provide the pivotal mountings for these combined legs and uprights. A preferred arrangement of these parts is indicated in Fig. 4, where the stay-rod is shown as extending through bushings 33, secured in the side flanges l I, these bushings having washers 34 at the outside providing thrust bearings for the legs, which latter are held in position by cap 35 nuts 35, screwed-onthe ends of the rod against washers 3B.

To securely hold the uprights in the position of use, hinge braces 3'! are provided pivotally connected at 38 and 39, with the uprights and 40 with the side flanges of the base. For holding these hinged braces in their extended supporting relation," slide rings 40 are shown, which as will be clear in Fig. 1, may be slid backwardly or upwardly to release the extensions 4| of the lower brace arms and permit-these braces to break at the center pivots 42'.

The upper ends of the upright members are shownconnected together in spaced relation by a rod 43, secured thereto by the cap nuts 44.

The apparatus may be used by simply grasping the cross rod 43 as a handle and walking the belt as a treadmill. .More interest and exercise are attained however by the use of spring ten- Z V a 7 2,017,128

otherwise detachably secured to the ends of the 7 spring tensioned pull cords, or. individual hand? grips such as shown at 52, may be caught in 15 rings 53, on the cords, or other bodyengaging or handle members may be connected with;such

cords. V V g 7 In the use of the abdominalbelt, it is particularly desirable that the pull against the abdo- 20 men be in an upward direction. Accordingly, the uprights should be high enough: to give this upward lift to the abdominal organs; --For this purpose, the uprights may bemade vertically adjustable as by having the slidabl'e sections 25 54, at the upper ends of the same, which can be secured at the proper height to give this desired effect as by the thumb nuts: 55, bolts- 56, which extend through the slots 5-1, in theadjustable end sections. a j 30 To prevent cramping of the pulleys 46 ad 41 at the upper and lower ends" of the uprights, the latter are shown as formed with doulc aled back or return bent portions 58, 593 forming A pulley receiving yokes; which are prevented from 35 collapse by the angularly bent ends 60, 61, in

abutment with the sides of the uprights.

'Constructed as described, the'apparatus while relatively light, is rugged and strong, and can be: produced and sold at-"relatively' low cost g When the slide rings 40 are slipped back, the uprights can be folded down over the base, as indicated in Fig. 2, so as to' occupy but small space, in which condition it may be stored in a closet or the like. 45 easily unfoldedand set up for use. In the i'nclined relation Fig. 1, agreeable and helpful exercise maybe had by an easy walking motion and. this may be made as strenuous oras mild as the individual desires. The uplifting effect on 50 the abdomen may be varied by changing the connections of the springs with the-uprights and by raising or lowering the upperpulley supporting sections of the uprights. By fclding under the supporting legs I1, the platform maybe 55 brought down to'the substantially horizontal position. In this relation it serves as a standing platform for an operator using the pull cords in the familiar weight lifting exercises; The sub stantially fiat supporting plate witlr'its down- 60" wardly curved ends provides the necessary friction as well as the entiresupportforthe: endless tread band, eliminating the need: for any rollers; slats or the like, such as heretofore considered necessary in apparatus of this, character; The

65* elimination of rollers for the belt alsomakes the device entirely safe for either very young or very old or' feeble' persons: td'use.

75 tend within the curled under portions'as shown pulleys 4-1;

The apparatus may be as The belt is guided. in. its travel between the smooth inner in Fig. 1, so that the parts are well secured together and the nuts may be set up as tightly as desired without collapsing the edge flanges.

The tie rod 62, connecting the legs 23 confines and supports the lower run of the belt in the 5 folded condition indicated in Fig. 6. In either the inclined or the horizontal positions, the apparatus may be used by lying on the back and grasping the spring tensioned handles 52, and working the legs, usingv the upper cross bar 43, 10 iii desired, asv a foot rest. or pressure: bar. The springs 48 may be interposed in the inside runs ofithe cords 45, that is, in the lengths extending between the upper pulleys 46 and the lower The term Hiker has been applied to the machine as a trade-mark. The inwardly bent yokes at the upper and lower ends of the uprights serve as housings and guides for the pulleys and also as guides for the cords running over the pulleys, These yokes also act as guards for protectingthe hands from the pulleys. The spaced legs for the upper end of the platform may act as guides for the lower run of the belt in the folded as well as in the supporting position as will be clear from Figs. 6 and 7.

What is claimed is:

1-. Exercising apparatus of the treadmill type, comprising a substantially flat supporting plate having downwardly rounded ends and an endless tread bandextending over and entirely supported and frictioned'by said supporting plate and downwardly curved ends of the same.

2. Exercising apparatus of the treadmill type, comprising a substantially flat supporting plate having downwardly rounded ends and an endl'ess tread band extending over and entirely supported and frictioned by said supporting plate and downwardly curved ends of the same, legs. for positioning said supporting plate in an inclined relation, said legs being foldable to sus- 49s.:

tain the supporting plate in substantially horizontal relation, an upright connected with the supporting plate and pull means carried by said upright andusable in either the inclined or substantially horizontal positions of the supporting 454 plate.

- 3'. Exercising apparatus of the treadmill type, comprising a substantially flat supporting plate having downwardly rounded ends, an endless tread band extending over and entirely supported 50 and frictioned by said supporting plate and downwardly curved endsof the same, said supporting plate having downturned edge flanges covering the edges of the downwardly curvedend" portions of the plate. 4. Exercising apparatus of the treadmill type,

comprising a substantially flat supporting plate having downwardly rounded ends, an endless tread band extending over and entirely supported and frictioned by said supporting plate and downwardly curved ends of the sameQsaid supporting plate having downturned edge flanges covering the'edges of the downwardly curved end portions'of the plate and stays connecting said downturned edge flanges of the supporting plate. 5. Exercising apparatus of the treadmil1 type, comprising a substantially flat supporting plate having downwardly rounded ends, an endless tread band extending over and entirely supported and, frictioned by said supporting plate and downwardly curved ends of the same, said supporting plate having downturned edge flanges covering the edges of the downwardly curved end portions of the plate, stays connecting said downturned-edge flan es 0f the supporting plate and 78-- a foldable upright pivotally supported on one of said cross stays.

6. Exercising apparatus, comprising a sheet metal supporting plate having downturned edge flanges and downwardly curved ends curled in between the ends of said edge flanges, an endless tread belt extending over said supporting plate and downwardly curved end plates and means for supporting said plate in position for operation of said tread belt.

7. Exercising apparatus, comprising a platform, supporting feet at one end of said plat form shiftable to support said platform in either inclined or substantially horizontal relation, an endless tread belt extending over said platform, an upright at one end of said platform and spring tensioned pull mechanismcarried by said upright and operable in either the inclined or the horizontal positions of the platform.

8. Exercising apparatus, comprising an inclined treadmill surface, a support positioned above the waistline of a person on said treadmill surface and an abdominal belt elastically connected with said support and thereby adapted to resiliently support and lift the abdominal region of a person on said inclined treadmill surface.

9. Exercising apparatus, comprising an inclined treadmill surface, an upright support at the lower end of said inclined treadmill surface, resilient connections with said support and means interchangeably engageable with said resilient connections engageable by a person on the treadmill surface.

10. Exercising apparatus, comprising a supporting platform having a top portion and downturned reinforcing side flanges, a treadmill surface riding over said top portion of said platform between said side flanges, said top portion having downwardly rolled parts at the ends of the same for said over-riding treadmill surface, cross stays between the end and intermediate portions of said side flanges within said downwardly rolled parts, an upright hingedly mounted on the cross stay at one end of said platform, braces for said upright hingedly mounted on the intermediate cross stay and exercising means resiliently connected with said upright and extensible over said treadmill surface.

11. Exercising apparatus, comprising a movable treadmill surface, an upright associatedtherewith, pulleys at the upper and lower ends of said upright, exercising cord connections extending about said pulleys and resilient means interposed in said cord connections.

12. Exercising apparatus, comprising in combination with a treadmill platform uprights associated therewith and having doubled end portions, pulleys located in said doubled end portions in the uprights and exercising cords extending about said thus mounted pulleys.

13. Exercising apparatus, comprising in combination with a treadmill platform, uprights associated therewith having adjustable sections vertically shiftable to a position above the waistline of a person on the treadmill platform and exercising cords carried by and leading from the upper end of said vertically adjustable sections and a body encircling belt connected with said cords to apply supporting pressure to the abdominal region of a person using the apparatus.

14. Exercising apparatus, comprising a treadmill platform, an upright at one end of said platform, exercising connections carried by said upright and hinged feet hinged to the opposite end portion of said treadmill platform foldable from an upright relation supporting the platform in inclined position to a lowered position supporting the platform in substantially horizontal relation.

15. Exercising apparatus, comprising a platform, a treadmill belt extending thereabout and. a foldable support at one end of the platform including a cross stay positioned beneath the lower run of the belt to engage and support the belt in the folded position of the same.

16. Exercising apparatus, comprising a platform, spaced legs supporting one end of said platform and foldable into position beneath the same and a treadmill belt extending about the platform and guided between said legs in both the folded and the supporting positions of the legs.

17. In exercising apparatus, a treadmill platform and supporting legs for the same flanged in box form, said legs being hingedly connected with the platform in position with the upper flanges of said legs to engage beneath and support the platform and the bottom and side flanges to form end and side supports for the platform.

FRANK ONEILL, JR. 

